Chiming in too-again.
If WC is the college of choice, it is a very nice little town, and although it can feel very remote out there in the winter, it is also very beautiful.
And more importantly, agree 100% that the WC brand is very meaningful to those that matter (employers, grad schools, etc.). WC may not be as commonly known as HYP but it is just as prestigious!
I am a parent of a early July NESCAC recruit as well. My S was recruited by 2 of the âeasierâ ivies as well as the LACâs. The LAcâs were all very early to offer support after pre-reads. We were generally given till the end of July to make up our mind. We were told by two schools that they had been given less âsupport/tips/recruitsâ for this 2021 class due to the COVID situation and were having to really be confident with their recruits. The pressure was real. We are still working through talking to his number two school if anything was to happen with number one.
Thankfully we had done the college visit thing early along with SAT testing, and got to meet coaches and athletes at all schools he was looking at. The coaches at the Ivies were later than the NESCACâs in asking for pre-read material and later getting back to us about the status of his pre-read. However, he got the thumbs up from all. But then the Ivies went quiet. Very quiet. At this point my child was in love with his #1 LAC, they told him that he was their top pick and provided some reassurance that even if another better kid came around, or he didnât have a fall season, he would still be their top. He verbally committed after a day of thinking. Most the LACâs wanted an answer by Aug. 1st. Last week we received a call from the two Ivies offering up support and continuing the recruitment process. One coach was retiring, which made the decision easier, and the second coach was great, but both almost made it sound like the Ivies were a bit âflusteredâ in recruiting this year. With Brown cutting sports and then with Dartmouth cutting sports, we felt a little more uncomfortable with what was going on in the Ivies. My S turned down both the same evening they called offering support. He wanted the type of education his verbal commit offers, he wanted to be a DIII athlete contributing to the team and hoping to go to nationals in his career (probably not possible with D1 Ivies he was looking at). However, the name recognition still bothers him a bit as no one knows of the school. It took him a little while to move past that, but still stings when people say, âwhere?â He also is a little disappointed that the LAC he chose doesnât have sports laundry nor locker rooms. His 17year old brain really wanted laundry, LOL.
In the end, there is always some doubt, there is also the Ivy bragging rights that he wonât get to tout, nor the sports laundry services he desired, but we believe the school loves him, he loves the school, and in this uncertain time he is very lucky to have (most likely) a top school to be a student athlete at.
I totally feel for you, and it all does feel so early for these kids to make up their minds, especially if they havenât had the opportunity to see the school, the students, the coaches inâreal life.â
@Willownest - Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Your son sounds like an amazing student and athlete, and wise beyond his years!
Your experience helps put my Dâs experience in context. We really appreciate it.
As I read through the comments, I saw a lot of people going through specifics on slots, AI, etc. but no one is really addressing the key component about what school your daughter WANTS to attend. My son is a top XC and Track recruit and we were looking at the Ivies and NESCACâs exclusively. He has received many D1 offers and he has a lot of choices, but he is very focused on the northeast and those two conferences. Neither offer merit based scholarships and honestly the Ivy teams arenât particularly strong at the national level so we have been more focused on the school experience. Yes, running is important, but the team dynamic, the rigors of D1 vs. D3, the overall school culture, and wether your daughter wants to study abroad all should play into the decision. We started this process his Sophomore year and visited all the schools and talked to all the coaches. I can 100% tell you that Harvard is completely different than Dartmouth and Cornell is different than Columbia. Just at Amherst is unique compared to Middlebury, Williams, or Tufts. I saw a previous post stating that U of Chicago is on par with the Ivies and academically that may be correct, but the experience is 100% different. There is no right answer but rural vs urban, 10,000 students vs 2000 students, graduate programs vs. all undergrad, is there a greek life, lecture vs. discussion based learning, they all vary so much. At the end of the day, these things will impact your daughterâs experience at college so much more than the name of the school. Every student is different and they each want different things, but they need to identify those interests and choose the school that matches them best. Iâll admit, we struggled with the concept of name recognition and the idea of not going D1 when it was obvious that my son was capable. What parent doesnât want to brag about their child going to Harvard, or competing at a D1 school, but in the end we finally came to terms with the fact that it wasnât about us, or even about impressing his friends. The Ivyâs and Nescac schools are all amazing. They have great professors, huge alumni networks, and your daughter will graduate from any of them with an opportunity to do what ever she wants in life. If a particular school has a great program, or your daughter really likes the vibe, then take that offer from the coach and donât look back.
Great perspective! I think at the end of it, itâs the fit at the school that matters most. Itâs also true that the mind share of liberal arts colleges has really slipped relative to the research universities in applicants minds, but that doesnât affect the great education they will get. And donât forget Stanford when your son just thinks Ivyâs or NESCAC. We have a great middle and long distance program. I was on a team there and the positives besides the year round great weather and academics is that athletes are treated both by the faculty and other students as just regular students.
MrsJayBird, has your daughter heard back from the HYP coach or made a decision? We are still in a nervous waiting game. The IVY coaches have told him theyâd talk soon, but other than that, nothing. We are hoping they are still interested, but not sure, since they havenât asked to talk after the pre reads, which were all positive.
@Engineer9 My daughter had a check in with one Ivy coach yesterday - no power at his home and still many communities due to the storm. He drove a few towns over to get wifi and power at another location. Guessing that could be another slow down too with the East Coast schools. Never a dull moment 
@Engineer9 - My D hasnât had any discussions with the coaches since her long call last Friday. The coach said he needed to discuss with the other coach about who to offer the slots to. We are quite confident my D is not the top recruit, but we suspect the recruits above her are being wooâed by plenty of other schools, including the other two HYPs. So they have to do their strategizing, too.
Thankfully, my D is really at peace with attending her NESCAC at this point. Itâs the whole âLove the one who loves youâ principle. Iâm just glad that she had a chance to explore this option a little bit instead of declining immediately because she thought it was already âtoo lateâ because she had already verbally accepted.
So sheâs giving the HYP until this Tuesday EOD to show her some love and then sheâs finished.
Thanks for the update. Hopefully youâll hear back by Tuesday, but it sounds like sheâs incredibly happy to go to this other school also. Congratulations and good luck to your daughter
Final update- she decided that she didnât want to lose her spot on the NESCAC team and told the coach this morning that she will commit to applying there ED. Sheâs really excited about the school and the team and wonât go back on her verbal commitment again.
The HYP coach couldnât give her enough assurance in time to give up her spot on the NESCAC. Looking at her stats, my D was definitely recruitable, but wouldnât be their first choice, and they werenât going to rush their own timetable for her. Meanwhile, the NESCAC coach really shined in the past two weeks. We learned that he won the National Indoor T&F Coaching Award last year, so we are really excited she will be under his wings. I guess this gives away the school for anyone who cares. haha. Anyway, she would have been miserable if she didnât get into HYP and ended up having go to another D3 or even a âlower Ivyâ because she lost her spot at the NESCAC.
Thanks everyone, for all your love, support, stories, and advice! It really is a roller coaster ride, but as some of you have shared with me here and in private messages, our children are really lucky to be in the place where they are.
Congratulations @MrsJayBird! Best of luck to your daughter!
Congratulations @MrsJayBird not only for a fantastic outcome but for you and your Dâs handling of this tricky situation with honesty and class. I have no doubt that your D has a wonderful future ahead of her.
@MrsJayBird Congrats on your Dâs landing spot. FWIW, I think she will get a better education at that D3 school than she would at any of the HYP schools, so the best of both worlds for her. Yay!
@MrsJayBird, congratulations to your daughter!!!
By the way, no offense to the non HYP Ivies. I didnât mean to call them âlower Ivysâ, and itâs too late to edit. We know they are great schools. She just wanted to go to a small LAC to begin with, with the exception of HYPS, for the name of the school. It sounds like some of the strongest and most supportive athletic teams are in the non HYP Ivies.
I have not read the entire thread.
Congratulations to your daughter !
As a side comment:
With respect to Ivy League schools, Dartmouth College has similarities with NESCAC schools / selective LACs. Certainly Dartmouth College is more similar to Williams College than to Cornell, Penn or Harvard. I tend to view Dartmouth College as a Super LAC.
Was Dartmouth College considered by your daughter ?
Congrats on a great outcome for your daughter. Sounds like she made a great decision and handled the process in a mature way.
Your note on Ivies is a good point. Yes, all great schools. And in terms of track strength, HYP donât necessarily dominate. While the Princeton men are a perennial power and Harvard very strong also, Penn is also a strong contender and Cornell has been in the past. On the womenâs side, Penn is the powerhouse right now, competing successfully with Harvard for titles. Yale was last on both the menâs and womenâs side outdoors. Still, all of these programs have produced outstanding, nationally competitive athletes. So in the end itâs really about the best fit for each student-athlete.
@Publisher - not really. Being in California, she was overwhelmed by all the choices outside of CA. The only schools outside of CA she had really heard of were HYPM. Then she visited Pomona college and fell in love with the D3 LAC environment. However, Pomona doesnât offer an indoor track season, and she had some really bad memories of cold, windy, wet outdoor track meets in CA. So I suggested she fill out the recruiting questionnaire for this NESCAC, which she had never heard of before. The other D3 coaches outside of CA all found her on NCSA. So the Dartmouth coach never reached out to her, but during that time, the NESCAC coaches really impressed her with their school and program.
FWIW: Colby College in Maine recently built a new indoor track facility.
Pomona College is part of the Claremont consortium. Different feel than Williams College, in my opinion.
I hope that you keep us updated on your daughterâs journey. I would enjoy reading about her impressions of college life through her first year.
Sounds like a great decision - congrats and good luck to your daughter!
I donât see any reason for any of us to second-guess or Monday-morning-quarterback; it sounds like you and your daughter did your research and conducted yourselves honorably throughout, and achieved a great outcome.